Hardik Pandya's Carnage Against CSK Shows Why Team India Needs Him In The World Cup

Hardik Pandya might have courted controversy on his last TV show appearance. He may have deservedly attracted flak and, later, suspension from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for his comments. And, more recently, he might have been summoned by Indian cricket board's Ombudsman, Justice DK Jain, to be present for the hearings in relation to his controversial remarks about women.

But, despite all that, hand this young lad a cricket bat and he'll show you what an absolute nightmare he can be for the opposition bowlers - something that's becoming more of a trend in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.

The 25-year-old began this season with a forgettable duck against Delhi Capitals (DC) who eventually shocked the three-time IPL champions with a 37-run triumph. But, since then, there's been no looking back for Pandya.

Twitter/@IPL

He smashed a 14-ball 32 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and, then, a 19-ball 31 against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). But, he saved his best for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who bore the brunt of Pandya's willow at the Wankhede stadium on 3rd April.

Against RCB, Pandya's blitzkrieg allowed Mumbai to accelerate from an average-looking 145 after 16 overs to a competitive 187 after 20. And, at home against CSK, the swashbuckling right-hander, once again, got a meandering Mumbai innings out of a ditch with an absolute carnage of an innings.

Coming out to bat in the 17th over, Hardik swapped places with elder brother Krunal and was looking to give more strike to settled Suryakumar Yadav. He couldn't score a run on his first delivery and then a single on the second got him off strike in the 18th over. But, after Yadav got dismissed on the last delivery of the over, the right-handed batsman knew it was time to unleash the beast.

Twitter/@IPL

He smashed Shardul Thakur for a towering six over square leg on the first delivery of the penultimate over and followed it up with a single. With Hardik off strike, Kieron Pollard could only manage seven runs off four deliveries including a six on the fifth ball. At 141/5, with just six deliveries to go, both Hardik and Pollard knew they needed to up the ante to help Mumbai post a competitive total.

While Pollard smashed a six on the third delivery (a no-ball) and ran three runs on the legitimate ball (a free-hit), Hardik went hammer and tongs at Dwayne Bravo on the last three balls of the final over. He helicoptered Bravo's yorker into the top tier - something MS Dhoni would have also enjoyed - on the fourth delivery. Then, he punched a drive through extra cover for a boundary. And, finally, slashing a fuller delivery over third man to finish with a six.

A staggering 29 runs came off Bravo's final over wherein Hardik was responsible for 17, Pollard scored 10 and two came as extras. From reeling at 119/4 in 17 overs, Mumbai romped their way to 170/5 - thanks to a slambang 8-ball 25 from Hardik and 7-ball 17 from Pollard.

In 37 innings since the 2017 edition of the IPL, Hardik has come in to bat with roughly 26 balls remaining in the innings, which is extremely low for a hitter of his ability in a T20 game. While that may raise questions on Mumbai's decision to keep him much down the batting order, it undoubtedly highlights what kind of an influence, in just a few deliveries, this young bloke can have on a game - something Team India would need in the all-important ICC World Cup, slated to begin from 30th May.